The Giants hoped the demotion would give Birdsong a chance to reset, but he continued to struggle with his command in the Minors. He posted a 6.23 ERA over his final 10 starts at Sacramento and didn’t earn another callup with the Giants, who bypassed him in favor of other young starters such as Kai-Wei Teng, Carson Seymour and Trevor McDonald in September.
How would Birdsong diagnose his issues?
“I think I was over-bending, which caused my arm slot to raise almost, and then everything just didn’t move the same,” Birdsong said. “I’d cut fastball, run fastballs. It was just not what you’re looking for. But I just try to stay more upright. Don’t reach so much overhead, be more athletic.”
Despite his sudden regression, the Giants remain high on Birdsong, who possesses one of the highest ceilings of any starter in the organization. He averaged 95.5 mph on his four-seam fastball in 2025 and also mixes in a slider, changeup and curveball, which should give him a chance to develop into a key rotation piece if he can get back in the strike zone more consistently this year.
Birdsong is expected to compete for a spot in the Giants’ Opening Day rotation this spring, but he could be on the outside looking in now that newcomers Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle have arrived to join Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp in the starting mix.
Still, Birdsong could be the next man up in the event of injury or underperformance, so he should be one of the most intriguing players to follow once Cactus League action begins next month.
“The stuff is incredible,” Webb said. “Talking to [manager] Tony [Vitello] about it [on Friday], the potential for that kid is pretty sky high. Probably some of the best potential in all of baseball. … I’m excited for him. It’s cool to see him progress throughout the offseason and try to make changes. A lot of these young guys are really hungry and want to do well.”
